Arthur Dayle Hancock

Arthur Dayle Hancock, Jr., retired physics professor, passed away on July 2, 2025, at the age of 74. Dayle is well remembered by those who worked beside him for his enthusiasm for physics and his love of teaching. He inspired generations of undergraduates. Dayle received degrees in Physics from Oklahoma City University, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Houston.

He started as a HEP (high energy physicist), moved into being a MEP (medium energy physicist), and wound down his career as a “teach” over a career that spanned five decades. Dayle was a master of analysis and simulation software, the art of cooking, history, and music, as well as being at home tinkering with Linux systems and computer hardware. He worked on experiments at the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), CEBAF (now Jefferson National Laboratories or JLAB), and other particle physics laboratories in the U.S. He also worked on experiments at CERN in Geneva, was a professor and teaching instructor, and was a master of herding graduate students and cats.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Donna, his daughters Tracy Genevieve and Laura Miranda, grandson Joshua and foster-grandson Liam. He is survived by beloved siblings Tim Hancock, Vick Guinn, niece Tanessa Furfey, husband Matt, and children Gracie and Matthew, and his nephew Zach Garriott and son Kasen, and many other beloved relatives. The family will hold intimate memorials in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Norman, Oklahoma.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to support William & Mary through a gift to the Professor Dayle Hancock Undergraduate Research in Physics Endowment. Checks should be made payable to the William & Mary Foundation and mailed to, Foundation Services LLC, Gift Administration, P.O. Box 1693, Boone, IA 50950-0693. Checks should also include Professor Dayle Hancock Undergraduate Research in Physics Endowment in the in the note section.